WHO IS ALEKSANDR DUBINSKY AND HOW HE BECAME POLITICAL PRISONER OF ZELENSKY
THERE IS FIVE YEARS BETWEEN THIS PHOTOS
Who is Alexander Dubinsky? He was born in Kyiv in 1981 into a family of engineers. He holds four higher education degrees: in engineering, taxation, economics, and public administration. While studying, he was also involved in business in the field of radio electronics. In 2004, he began his career as a financial journalist at Economic News, the first daily business newspaper in Ukraine. From 2006 to 2008, he was recognized as the best financial journalist in Ukraine for three consecutive years.
In 2009, Dubinsky transitioned into management, first leading a general interest weekly, and in 2010, he was offered the opportunity to create the first investigative journalism program in Ukraine at the 1+1 TV channel. He became the creative producer of the program and later its host. Under his leadership, the news programming on 1+1 developed and was repeatedly recognized as the best in Ukraine.
Start of the political career
In 2019, Alexander Dubinsky began his political career by supporting Volodymyr Zelensky as a presidential candidate. At the same time, he became one of the most outspoken critics of then-president Petro Poroshenko. Dubinsky's publications and investigations exposing Poroshenko's activities played a significant role in Zelensky's victory. That same year, Dubinsky became a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, winning a seat in the district of Poroshenko's long-time ally and leader of his parliamentary faction, I. Kononenko.
In Zelensky's team, Alexander took the position of deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Financial, Tax, and Customs Policy. He quickly became one of the most popular politicians in the country. At the same time, Dubinsky positioned himself as an internal whistleblower, accusing individual members of the "Servant of the People" faction and government members of corruption. Fighting corruption, including holding Poroshenko and his entourage accountable, remained his key priority.
In 2019, Zelensky asked Dubinsky to take part in the creation of a parliamentary investigative committee to investigate international corruption. In the course of working on this important project, Dubinsky joined a press conference where he revealed budgetary theft from the Ukrainian state budget through a scheme involving state bonds and manipulations with oil and gas extraction permits. As an example, he cited the scheme organized by former ecology minister Zlochevsky through the Burisma company. The money siphoned from the Ukrainian budget through this company was used to buy political influence from Hunter Biden, influencing his father, US Vice President Joe Biden, in 2019.
In 2020, Zelensky asked Dubinsky to continue investigating the corruption of the Biden family and take part in press conferences where recordings of conversations between Joe Biden and Petro Poroshenko were to be presented. The goal was to hold Poroshenko accountable for state treason and international corruption. However, Dubinsky refused to participate in these events and declined the offer to head the parliamentary commission on the matter, which was created without his involvement. Dubinsky warned Zelensky and his office head Ermak that this could be seen as interference in the US presidential elections.
Despite his refusal, Dubinsky continued his anti-corruption work both internationally and nationally. His efforts earned him strong support among voters. In early 2020, he was appointed head of the election campaign in the Kherson region, and in the summer, he became the head of the party in the Kyiv region. With a 11% rating, Dubinsky was considered a potential candidate for mayor of Kyiv from the presidential party, but Zelensky asked him to withdraw in favor of another candidate approved by the party.
In the local elections in October 2020, Dubinsky secured the best result for the president's party across Ukraine. However, after Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election in November, Zelensky shifted political alignment towards the Democratic Party of the United States, closed probe in Ukraine against Joe Biden, and ceased communication with Dubinsky.
Soon, a media campaign to discredit Dubinsky began.
In January 2021, based on a denunciation from a Soros-funded NGO cooperating with Zelensky's Office, Dubinsky was sanctioned with politically motivated OFAC sanctions for “public association (appearing at a press conference) in 2019 with Derkach.” For Dubinsky, it was immediately clear that these sanctions were revenge from the Biden administration for his participation in the press conference about corruption schemes involving Burisma. It was also clear that these sanctions were coordinated with Zelensky and Ermak, who at that time had close ties with Biden's circle. Zelensky publicly threatened Dubinsky with criminal prosecution. Here’s an interview published on the official website of the President’s Office where Zelensky speaks about threats to Dubinsky. It's also a fact, that Dubinsky is sanctioned in Russia by Russian government from 2021.
In January 2021, Zelensky (right during his birthday celebration) called Dubinsky to the stage and in front of the whole faction demanded that he resign from all party positions and leave the faction, to which Dubinsky publicly refused.
Just a few days later, a probe was opened against Dubinsky on suspicion of tax evasion dating back to 1998 when he was 17. The procedure for his expulsion from the faction also began. In March 2021, Dubinsky publicly presented his version of the events at a press conference and became a staunch opponent of Zelensky.
In the summer of 2021, the leader of the "Servant of the People" faction, David Arakhamia, proposed a deal to Dubinsky: either stop criticizing Zelensky and the statements regarding the Ukrainian origin of the Biden-Poroshenko recordings, or he would be accused of state treason. At the same time investigations by US senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley into Antony Blinken lying to Congress about his communications with Hunter Biden was started in the U.S. This investigation also would raise questions about Blinken's involvement in organizing a letter from 51 former US intelligence officials, which began the narrative that Hunter Biden’s work with Burisma was Russian disinformation. According to the report, published in July of 2023 by House of Representatives, this letter was an attempt to discredit the real data from Hunter Biden’s laptop, which contained information about Burisma, and present it as part of Russian disinformation. The report opened the truth how Blinken was coordinating the publication and preparation of this letter.
The situation became more complicated when, against the backdrop of a House of Representatives investigation, it became clear that the main goal of the US Democratic Party was to stop the development of the Burisma issue and present it as a Russian intelligence disinformation. Dubinsky's public statements that the corruption investigations involving the Bidens in Ukraine had no ties to Russia - threatened to undermine this narrative.
The convenient moment to strengthen this narrative was provided by the war between Russia and Ukraine. In this situation, the topic of Burisma and the data from Hunter Biden’s laptop became a useful tool for solidifying the "Russian trace" version and discrediting Donald Trump.
How Ukraine concealed the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and Burisma
In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a secret prison called the “gym” was organized in the central headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), under the leadership of SBU chief Ivan Bakanov (Zelensky's childhood friend and business partner from the "Kvartal-95" studio) and his first deputy Vasyl Maluk. The existence of this prison was later confirmed by the United Nations report on human rights.
Here are excerpts from the UN report:
Among the first to be imprisoned in this facility was a former assistant to the ex-MP of the Verkhovna Rada, Derkach. He was held there for two weeks without any legal documentation. Under torture, which, according to testimonies, was applied to all detainees, the assistant made confessions:
Translation:
Question: What do you know about Andriy Leonidovych Derkach's role in the information campaign related to the U.S. Presidential election?
Answer: I have information that Andriy Leonidovych Derkach directly participated in Donald Trump’s election campaign, receiving materials from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, compromising materials on the President's son, and preparing documents.
Question: The Presidential candidate Joe Biden?
Answer: Biden, yes. He prepared documents. After that, he participated in a press conference.
Question: The materials with which he participated in the press conference, were they preliminarily approved by the GRU?
Answer: Yes, they were directly coordinated with the GRU.
GRU is Main Intelligence Directorate of Russia (editorial).
The materials from the interrogation later became the basis for the initiation of criminal proceedings against Alexander Dubinsky under Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Treason" for "discrediting Biden"). Dubinsky's legal team possesses evidence confirming that Derkach's assistant was held in a secret SBU prison in March 2022 and subjected to torture.
These statements were legalized by Ukrainian investigative authorities and courts under direct orders from the President's Office. According to Dubinsky, the goal of these actions is to use the information for the discrediting of Donald Trump. Dubinsky believes these actions are part of a political strategy aimed at preventing peace negotiations with Russia, a strategy that is supported by statements from Zelensky and his administration regarding allegedly pro-Russian stances taken by politicians such as Robert Fico and Viktor Orban.
Updating the Charges Against Dubinsky and the Counter-Campaign in Ukraine
In 2023, after the Republicans gained a majority in the U.S. Congress and began preparing the impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) revisited previously obtained testimony. This coincided with the fact that in May 2023, Alexander Dubinsky was summoned for questioning and gave testimony to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), where he stated that the investigations into Burisma and the publication of the tapes of Biden's conversations with Poroshenko were initiated not by Russia, but by Zelensky and Yermak themselves.
In the summer of 2023, the U.S. Congress launched an investigation aimed at impeaching Joe Biden. In response, an urgent counter-campaign was organized in Ukraine to present the Burisma case (one of the key accusations against Biden regarding influence-peddling) as part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Dubinsky's testimony at NABU, as well as his repeated public statements, debunked this narrative. To undermine his credibility as a politician and witness, a targeted campaign to discredit him was initiated.
From July to November 2023, two absurd criminal cases were opened against him, and 16 searches were carried out. The first case was for allegedly leaving the country unlawfully to treat his cancer-stricken father, even though he returned two weeks later than his father. The second case concerned helping a volunteer to travel abroad, which, according to him, was not true.
These cases were accompanied by loud media campaigns and 16 searches, none of which uncovered any evidence of Dubinsky's illegal activity. Furthermore, the prosecution, as part of these cases, filed a motion to ban Dubinsky from using social media. His legal team believes this was done to prevent the spread of statements regarding Zelensky and Yermak's involvement in the publication of the Biden-Poroshenko tapes. Despite this, Dubinsky continued his public activities.
On November 13, 2023, Dubinsky was charged with treason (Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and participation in an organized criminal group (Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). He was accused of interfering in the U.S. elections, discrediting Joe Biden as a presidential candidate in 2019, and collaborating with Russian intelligence. The case is being handled by the SBU and the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).
The Case Against Dubinsky: Fabricated Charges and Torture
On November 11, 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) once again involved a witness in the case who, under pressure in 2022, had testified about the alleged involvement of Andriy Derkach in Donald Trump's election campaign. Over the course of this time, from 2022 onwards, Kolesnikov was interrogated six times, and Dubinsky's name had never been mentioned in his statements. However, on November 11, 2023, this witness, who had been subjected to brutal beatings (confirmed documental, by medical records and video footage), stated that Dubinsky allegedly worked for Trump's campaign and discredited Biden by using materials related to Burisma.
These statements were extracted under physical duress by Colonel of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) Alexander Raldugin, a relative of the former head of the SBU, Vasyl Hrytsak. It is important to recall that Hrytsak was involved in the fabrication of the "Manafort ledger" in 2016, under the instructions of Petro Poroshenko, with the goal of interfering in the U.S. elections in favor of Hillary Clinton.
On the same day, November 11, 2023, the witness was forced to repeat his statements regarding Trump.
Translation:
Investigator Ralduhin O.O.: What was Derkach talking about at the event? What was the purpose of the event?
Kolesnikov I.V.: No. Not in front of me. I didn't know what was going to be discussed. They were talking about it there. It's clear. And it's clear that some materials were sent here from there. And support was coming from there. As for media support, yes, it was media support directly from that side. Because Sekovich always advertised his connections with Americans, that he had his own people, his friends, and everyone else.
Investigator Ralduhin O.O. Who were those people? Those who supported Trump? Or Biden?
Kolesnikov I.V.: Probably Trump.
Yevtushenko Igor Romanovich: Did you discuss the press conference participants with Derkach?
Kolesnikov I.V.: No. Never. Personally. I didn’t even know who was going to the conference. I found out on the day, or, if allowed, my young assistant would call me, the intern, to tell me who would be at the press conference. It will be interesting. Of all the press conferences, I only watched one.
On November 13, 2023, Alexander Dubinsky was officially charged with treason for his alleged interference in the U.S. elections and collaboration with Russian intelligence.
Below, we provide a quote from the treason charge that was presented to Dubinsky on November 13, 2023, one year before the 2024 U.S. elections.
Translation: In connection with the events from November 20, 2019, from 10:30 to 11:32, Derkach A.L. together with Dubinsky O.A., following the instructions of Aleksseev V.S., organized and held a press conference on the topic "New Facts about International Corruption, 'Burisma,' and the Scheme Leading Ukraine to Bankruptcy" at the headquarters of the information agency "Interfax-Ukraine" at Reitarska Street, 8/S.A., Kyiv.
At the press conference, Dubinsky O.A. and Derkach A.L. presented topics of international corruption involving U.S. officials and reported on the actions of Hunter Biden, the son of the Vice President of the United States, during his work with the company "Burisma" and his actions shielding his father. The purpose of these statements was to harm Ukraine's defense, state, and economic security, including discrediting the presidential candidate in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, which could have worsened relations between Ukraine and its strategic partner – the U.S.
The use of this criminal case by the Ukrainian authorities to interfere in the U.S. elections in favor of Joe Biden leaves no doubt. This is confirmed by how quickly and eagerly "democratic" media outlets picked up and spread this news in the U.S., intensifying pressure on political opponents and shaping the necessary public opinion about the "Russian trace."
It is important to note that these headlines were widely spread by American media outlets (supporting the Democratic Party) ahead of Andriy Yermak’s visit to the U.S., which happened right during the detention of Dubinsky. "Dubinsky's head," which Yermak brought to America, was part of his report on the work done for the Democrats.
Torture and Mistreatment of Dubinsky in Detention Center
After the charges were brought against Dubinsky, he was placed in the detention center (SIZO), where he was subjected to beatings. For two consecutive nights, he was transferred to cells with inmates convicted of murder. There, he was beaten, with the demand to confess to working with Russian intelligence. In the morning, Dubinsky was returned to solitary confinement.
As a result of the beatings, his ribs were broken. Two weeks after the assault, Dubinsky suffered an acute appendicitis attack. Medical assistance was intentionally withheld, and a wrong diagnosis was given at the SIZO, with refusals to hospitalize him, which could have led to a fatal outcome. Only due to wide public attention was hospitalization achieved, along with urgent surgery.
Despite medical evidence confirming the beatings and fractures, the case concerning Dubinsky’s claims of torture is not being investigated. This suggests that the beatings were organized under the direction of Zelensky, Yermak, and Tatarov. Tatarov, in turn, oversaw the actions of the SBU personnel and ensured the rejection of all of Dubinsky’s claims in court.
The legal work conducted by Dubinsky and his team, communication with witnesses, and the examination of materials from other criminal cases allowed for the reconstruction of the entire operation aimed at interfering in the 2023-2024 U.S. elections, as well as attempts to discredit the elected U.S. President, Donald Trump.
The gathered materials confirm that state structures in Ukraine were used for discrediting: the SBU (Vasyl Maluk), the State Bureau of Investigations (Oleksiy Sukhachev), the Prosecutor General’s Office (Andriy Kostin), the Ministry of Justice (Denys Malyuska), and courts (Roman Kozlov, Head of the Pechersk Court of Kyiv; Yevheniy Martynov, Head of the Shevchenkivsky Court of Kyiv; Yaroslav Holovachev, Head of the Kyiv Court of Appeal).
Such coordination of efforts and mutual protection among participants would have been impossible without the direct approval of the highest officials of Ukraine: Zelensky, the head of his office Ermak, and the overseer of the law enforcement vertical Oleg Tatarov.
The false narrative that the Burisma case is a product of Russian disinformation in the interests of Trump continues to be strengthened. The aim of this campaign is to prevent an investigation into Burisma’s activities related to the Biden family and to undermine Trump’s peace initiatives by presenting them as a continuation of his cooperation with Russia. In the near future, the Ukrainian government, under Zelensky's administration, will take all possible steps to obstruct peace talks that Trump seeks to initiate.
Soros’ Role in Discrediting Dubinsky
In October 2023, Dubinsky was presented with updated charges, which not only included "discrediting Biden" but also added "discrediting the structures of George Soros." Below are a few excerpts from this charge:
Translation: Also, during the mentioned press conference, the narrative of Russian propaganda about external governance of Ukraine and 'Soros' was presented, with high positions in Ukrainian government bodies. Derkach A.L. mentioned another element of his interaction with Dubinsky O.A., namely the submission of a draft law 'On State-Owned Companies,' which allegedly calls for a 'fight' against foreign citizens in the supervisory boards of state-owned enterprises.
Translation: TV 'New Communications' LLC, which claims external governance, 'Soros' within the government, and the inadequacy of Ukraine's internal and foreign political course, emphasizes the urgent need to immediately dismiss former Prime Minister of Ukraine Goncharuk O.V., as he is a representative of 'Soros' and does not work in the interests of the Ukrainian people. Thus, Dubinsky O.A. has carried out the leadership of the criminal organization previously instructed and spread Russian narratives, discrediting the then-current Ukrainian government before society with the aim of undermining trust in it and destabilizing the political situation in Ukraine.
Such formulations leave no doubt that Zelensky's office is directly coordinating its interaction with Soros structures, including in the campaign to discredit Donald Trump.
Follow Dubinsky on:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dubinskyua
X: https://x.com/alexdubinskyi
Telegram: https://t.me/dubinskypro
TikTok: https://x.com/Dubinsky_pro